The Arkansas Razorbacks will play Vanderbilt later this season at home. That might be their last reasonable chance to win an SEC game after they let Ole Miss slip away from Fayetteville with a comeback victory in Week 7.
By Matt Zemek
The Razorbacks started slowly against Texas A&M and Alabama but thrived in the first half against the Rebels this past Saturday. Yet, in a recurrence of the Colorado State disaster which began to send this season tumbling downward into the abyss, the Hogs became stagnant and straitjacketed in the second half, failing to tuck away a game they frankly should have won.
You can say – with some justification – that a first season for a new head coach and a new staff will inevitably involve transitions and disruptions and a lot of bumps along the way. No one expected this season to become a masterpiece or anything which would lift the Razorbacks into contention for 10 wins, an important January bowl, an SEC West title, or any other especially significant prize.
However, a bowl bid was a realistic goal, and that appears to be vanishing into the mist. It’s a poor start for Morris and a reflection of the need for better coaching from this staff, one which might need changes this December.
Let’s look at this upcoming game against Tulsa. Imagine if Gus Malzahn had moved to Arkansas. This would be the Gus Bowl, given his stay with the Golden Hurricane.
1 – TAKE THE FOURTH
Some people advise clients to take the fifth on the witness stand, to avoid incriminating themselves. Arkansas needs to take the fourth, which means dominating the fourth quarter.
Tulsa, like Arkansas, has let multiple second-half leads get away this season. The Golden Hurricane led Houston by nine on the road and allowed that advantage to evaporate. This past Friday, Tulsa led South Florida, 24-10, stopped a tying 2-point try by the Bulls, but STILL lost 25-24 by failing to get a late first down and then allowing a field goal drive by USF.
Maybe Arkansas won’t play well in the first three quarters. Hopefully, that can and will be avoided. However, as long as this game is reasonably close, Tulsa doesn’t handle pressure well. A huge fourth quarter from Arkansas very likely means a needed win in Week 8.
2 – CHAVIS IN CHARGE? LET’S SEE
The career of John Chavis has been marked by notable achievements at Tennessee and elsewhere in the SEC, but this is a career which is going in the wrong direction. Chavis got worse at Texas A&M, and this rough season has gotten rougher in October. Chavis, who has constantly struggled with late-game and end-of-half defense, needs to promptly improve this UA defensive unit. If the second half of the season doesn’t involve much progress, Chad Morris might need to make a quick change on his staff before 2019.
3 – WOO PIG SOOIE, SITUATIONALLY SPEAKING
The Arkansas offense – in points and yards gained – has done well the past two weeks, but what it HASN’T done well is score when the team absolutely needs to score. This is somewhat related to the fourth quarter angle, but it has a broader and more universal application. Losing teams don’t make timely plays. That must change here.
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